Let's turn back in our Bibles to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. We're getting closer to the end of our study through this book, and I hope it's been an encouragement to you and happened to me, especially this last couple of weeks as we've been looking at the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, which has been great hope for believers. Last week, we specifically looked at the hope that is available to every single child of God. It's a hope that Jesus Christ is coming again. And I hope that this last week, even though we did not obviously return, yet it has been a hope to you, a looking for that day, a listening for that trumpet that will sound, the trumpet of God, that will sound very distinctly, and we will know when that time has come. I hope that was your hope, because whether you are dead or alive as a Christian, At that time, no one gets left behind. And that is a promise that God gives to every single child of God. And whether you're alive or dead, if you're a Christian, you will not be left behind in this world. We talked a little bit about this during our Transform Teens on Friday night, and it didn't seem to be absolutely enthralled with the fact that the dead and the living will be caught up together to be with God in the clouds and so be with Him forever. That was absolutely enthralling to me. It ought to be enthralling to us. Even if we've read it and studied it and learned it and know it, it ought to be so fresh because it truly can happen at any moment. This important teaching of the coming of Jesus Christ is what prepares you for death. If you do not have the hope of Christ coming to bring you with Him, you're not prepared to die. And we talked about that last week. But it prepares us to death, because as Paul writes in another place, where is your sting, O death? Where is your victory, O grave? There is no victory, there is no sting for those who have the hope of the coming of Jesus Christ. This important teaching is also what will comfort Christians. It has been a comfort to Christians of all times. and of all places. It was a comfort to the Thessalonian believers. It was a comfort to the early church. It was a comfort to the middle-aged church. And it ought to be still a comfort to the churches that are in existence today. Because Jesus Christ can come at any moment. That's why Paul said in the last verse of chapter 4, Wherefore, comfort one another with these words. This is what we ought to do. quite an honor. I was able to go and I took my own advice from last Sunday. I went to visit Pauline and I told her about what we talked about last Sunday morning. I said, I am here to comfort you with these words. We ought to do this. We ought to ask each other, are you ready for the coming of Christ today? He could come today. Maybe today my Lord will come for me. Maybe today, my Savior, I will see. Do you really believe that it could be today? If so, comfort and encourage each other with these words. Now, it was such a great hope before these Christians at Thessalonica. It would only be natural, and it is natural even today, for them to want to know not just that the Lord is coming, but when He is coming. After all, wouldn't it be easier to comfort someone if you could give them a date and a time Sometimes it's encouraging for us when we have visitors or when we're going to visit someone. I can tell my kids, and I can point to it on a calendar, that on this day, we will be leaving to go visit Grandma. And that gives them hope and comfort. So even though through the directory of school, even though we might have all these duties to perform and we have all these things to get done, we know that on that date, we will be able to go see Grandma. And I know the Thessalonians were probably thinking, okay, we know the what, he's coming again, now Paul tell us when, because what better way to comfort each other in this way? And that's what Paul now addresses in chapter 5. You see, he didn't just want them to be prepared to die by knowing that Jesus Christ was coming. He wanted them also to be prepared to live. There were individuals throughout church history that believed that Jesus Christ would come at any moment. And so what did they do? They sold their belongings and they went to their rooftops to await His coming. They thought it could happen that very instant. But Paul was saying, I don't want you to leave your life behind you. I don't want you to forget about your duties and responsibilities and your walk with God and your witness to others within the world. You may be prepared to die, you may be prepared for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, but now I want you to realize that this truth, this certainty, this hope of the coming of Christ ought to prepare you for how to live for me. He wanted them to realize that they shouldn't worry about the times and the seasons as it says in verse 1. because it will come and it will come and God has planned it to come, but instead let the hope of the coming of Christ Jesus help you in your daily walk with Christ. Yes, we have this hope, but your hope in the coming of Christ ought to be the greatest help that you and I can have as we walk with Christ in this life. Your hope in Christ is your help from Christ. And to walk with God and to please Him with the rest of the life that God has given you on this earth. And so with these understandings of comforting each other with these words, Paul says in verse 1 of chapter 5, But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord shall come as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety, then said destruction cometh upon them as prevailed upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, and that day shall overtake you as a thief. Ye are all children of light, and the children of the day. We are not of the night, nor of the darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be certain. Your hope in Christ is your help from Christ, as you walk with God in this life until the very moment that He calls you either to be with Him in the rapture, or when He calls your soul to be with Him when you die. Your hope in the Lord's coming is your help from the Lord in order to walk with Him today. My question is, are we walking with God today, and are we walking in light of the fact that Jesus Christ will come at any moment? We first see in verses 1 and 2 that your hope in the coming of Christ will help you have the right kind of perspective that a child of God needs in order to walk in an honorable relationship with the Savior. We read in verses 1 and 2 that, of the times and seasons, brethren, you have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord shall come as a thief in the night. Paul is giving a perspective, an understanding to the people of Thessalonica. First of all, he wanted them to see that there was a concern that the Lord had for them. And the concern was that they could take comfort in the return of Jesus Christ. Because it shows his great concern for them. Paul was trying to teach the people, as well as you and I, that God did not leave us here on this world without understanding what we would face in this world. He wants us to live for Him. And so in order to live for Him, He provides what we need in order to do that. And He does that through the hope of the coming of the Savior Jesus Christ. Paul writes to these people and calls them again, as he has in so many other places in this book, brethren. That is a term of love. We ought to call each other brothers and sisters in Christ, because it shows that relationship and family unity that ought to be there within the Church of Jesus Christ. But it also identifies himself with them. He's saying, I know the struggles that you've faced. And I think as he is talking about this, and as he is saying, I have no reason to write to you about the times and the seasons, brethren. He is focusing back on the things that he has already talked about. The things that have been such a difficulty for them. The difficulties that they've faced. He wants to show them God's concern for them through those difficulties. Let's think back and think of some of the difficulties that Paul was addressing in this book. First of all, the opposition that they were receiving from their neighbors. Remember, this was a young church. It was just recently planted by Paul. Paul had to leave very suddenly, but the Jews that were trying to get Paul to leave were still there. and the church, the Christians there in Thessalonica were still facing opposition and maybe even persecution from those very Jews that claimed to be the children of God who were claiming to believe in the Messiah. Yes! God says, I am concerned about your suffering and the opposition that you're facing. Also, think about the lesson that he gave in chapter 4 on their holiness. He said, this is part of the responsibility that you have as a child of God. You need to be holy for I am holy. You need to know how to run your life according to the Word of God. We realize that this is not an easy thing. It wasn't easy then, it isn't easy now. But to obey the Lord and to look at how to be holy because He is holy is still a challenging thing. And so Paul says, I understand this. I understand it's difficult. What about the difficulty of having love? Later on in chapter 4, he talks about having this love for each other that's the same type of love that God had for them. It is hard to love people that are unlovely, or unlovable, or ugly. It's hard to love people like that. And Paul says, through the Lord, we know these difficulties, we know these challenges, and that is why God gave you hope in order to help you to do these things. But what about the last difficulty that they faced that we saw in chapter 4, about those that slept in Christ, those especially in verse 14, even so they would sleep in Jesus Christ. They were concerned about their fellow Christians who may have died. They were concerned whether or not they would be going to heaven with them when the resurrection came. What was going to happen to them? In all these things the Lord is showing that through these difficulties the coming of Christ can help you through them. But it also shows the desire, the concern about their desire. I would imagine, again, that these church members wanted to know when the Lord would return. So Paul says, of those times and seasons, you have no need that I write you. It was so important for you to know the coming of the Lord the fact that he's coming, and not the science, that we've already taught it to you. This is an evidence of what part of the teaching ministry of the Apostle Paul was in Thessalonians. This is what part of the Gospel Not just his death, not just his resurrection, but his coming again. And this is what he was trying to teach these people, and he says, I've already taught you about this, so don't worry yourself about when, but just use the hope that God has given to you to help you through this life that you are living for God now. He's concerned about that curiosity. And even though the timing of this event is unknown, it doesn't mean that it won't happen. He says, And verse 2, that the day of the Lord is so coming. It is coming, it is certain, even though the exact timing is unknown. This ought to be one of the primary focuses of our meditation as we walk with God in this life. Going through the difficulties and the challenges that we face. We may face opposition from people. We may face struggles from the inside as we try to be holy. We may struggle with issues within our church body as we strive to love each other. We may strive with grief when we lose loved ones. But God says this is your home. the hope that Jesus Christ is coming. Don't worry about when, just worry about what. Don't worry about it all, because it's going to happen, and use it in your life to follow after me in a closer way. It ought to be a primary focus of our teaching and of our meditation, because it shows that God cares for us. But it also gives us perspective, not just of His care and concern, but also His coming. The Lord wants us to know some of the details of, as described in verse 2, the day of the Lord. He doesn't want us to know the exact timing, but he does want us to get some details. And some of these details are found in chapter 4 and verse 5. What is this day of the Lord? What does it entail? From what we looked at last week, we see, especially in verse 15, what it entails. Paul says, For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. So what does this day of the Lord entail? First of all, we see in verse 15, it entails the return of Jesus Christ. It says, the coming of the Lord. This was an emphasis in chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 3, chapter 4, and chapter 5. Every single chapter in this book teaches us about the return of Jesus Christ. And the day of the Lord begins with his return, but it also entails something else. In verse 15 it says, We will not prevent them which are asleep. Verse 16, For the Lord himself shall descend, that's his return, from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the tongue of God, and the dead in Christ. shall rise first. That's the resurrection. So we have his return. We have the resurrection of those who were dead and were Christians. Their bodies will be reunited with their souls. And that's part of this day of the Lord. Now, this is all going to happen so fast. Another pastor said it's going to happen in the twinkling of an eye. It's going to be so fast, but these are the stages. His return, the resurrection, and then in verse 17, we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds. That's the rapture! That being caught up together, those who are alive when Jesus Christ returns. This is all part of the day of the Lord that is going to come. But what's the next stage? We've got the return, we've got the resurrection, we've got the rapture, and then we have the reunion, the great gathering, the great reunion in the air. We which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And the reunion isn't just with us and other Christians that have gone on. Sometimes we like to think that that's the greatest thing, but it's not. It's our reunion with the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, we'll see our loved ones who have gone on before us, But ultimately, we will all see our Savior face to face. And then so shall we ever be with the Lord. That's part of the Day of the Lord that Paul was describing in verse 2 of chapter 5. But then, he also doesn't stop. It's not just about the glory of his return, but also there is something else. The Day of the Lord, which much of the Bible talks about, is the ruin of those who are unbelievers and those who are left behind. So that is the details that we are given about the day of the Lord. It starts with His return. We see the resurrection of Christians from their bodies from the grave. We see the rapture of His church that are living and remaining. We see the reunion in the sky. And then we see the ruin of those who have not turned their lives over to Jesus Christ. And that is what we focus primarily on in chapter 5. So what are these details and what is this description? What is this day of the Lord going to be like? Which encompasses all of those things, beginning with this return. He says in verse 2 that it comes as a thief in the night. It comes as a thief in the night. When do thieves usually like to work? Burglars, they like to work at night because it's dark. People are usually asleep. People are unexpected, or it's not expected, it's unannounced, it's unplanned, and it is uncertain to the people that are living in the house that is being burglarized. But the fact is, the person that is robbing, the thief himself, it's not uncertain. It is not unexpected, it is not unplanned, and it is not unannounced. Because he is aware of what's going on. This is a picture of what Jesus Christ is going to do. He's going to come not as a robber, but like a robber. Like he knows when, he knows where, and he knows how. I've been involved in several robberies in my working at banks. And the things that I've learned about robberies and bank robberies, of course they usually happen during the daytime because the money is already out. Makes it easier. So they don't do it at night, so the analogy is exactly the same. But one thing that the robbers do is they case the joints. Most of the smart ones, right? They look around. They may be there days before they actually rob the bank, and they're looking to see when people come, when people go. When is the best activity? When is the quietest times? And they see the best way to get in, the best way to get out, and they have a plan of attack. And then the day comes. And even though we have no idea when, or who, or how, It can happen at any moment, and if we're not prepared, we will lose a lot of money, perhaps even more. The fact is, the world who do not know Christ, the world that have not received his return and a resurrection and a rapture and a reunion will ultimately receive his ruin. They will be ruined because of their sin and their blatant disregard for the gospel of Jesus Christ. They will be judged. This is part of the day of the Lord. And it will come upon them as a thief in the night. Now, it doesn't have to be that way for Christians, because the Lord, who is making plans and preparations, have also given to us His plan right here in the Word of God. We may not know when, but we certainly know what, and we can be prepared. It's the same with being a bank robber. In a bank, you have certain policies and procedures, because we do not necessarily know when, but we do know that a robbery will probably take place, and so we are prepared. We work hard to try to make sure that we have people coming into the bank at the same time, at the right times. We make sure that we have dual control of the safe. We make sure we have the time locks on there. And there's all sorts of procedures and rules so that we are prepared, because it's not a matter of give. It's a matter of when. It's going to happen. It's going to happen. But there are so many people in this world, because of their rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ, and perhaps even your rejection of Jesus Christ, that there will come a time when you are at least expecting that this day of the Lord will happen, it will come, and we need to be prepared. Your hope in the coming of Christ will help you have the right kind of perspective, the right understanding of your relationship with Him now that Jesus Christ is in heaven waiting for that coming day. He's concerned for you, and that's why He's given you this hope, to help you to that day. Jesus Christ is also coming for you so that you will not have to go through this judgment, this room. What greater comfort is there to know that Jesus Christ cares for you? Or that Jesus Christ is coming for you? We don't need to know the time. We don't need to know the seasons. We don't need to know the date on the wall. Because we know what is happening. We know it will come. And that hope helps us follow Him. A second area that helps us is that this hope in the coming of Christ will help you keep the right kind of peace in your heart. In verse 3, we learn about those who do not have Christ as their Savior, who are not ready for the return of Jesus Christ, and it says, for when they shall say, peace and safety, then what happens? Sudden destruction shall come upon them, as prevailed upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape. Only those who have the right perspective and the right understanding about the coming of Christ will have the kind of peace that is necessary before He comes. But when Jesus does return, there are going to be a lot of people that are not ready. They've made no preparations. And for them, at the coming of Christ, we see in verse 3 that their peace will be an illusion. Their peace will be an illusion. They will say peace and safety. They will continue to live their life the same way they always have, in confidence in themselves, in pride, without any shame. The fact is, when the coming of the Lord happens, they will be surprised. And for them, the peace and safety that they live their lives in will be an illusion. Just a few nights ago, we noticed that it was very hot in our bedroom upstairs. And we got up, and my wife was up, and my son was coughing. We got him some medicine, and my wife went downstairs to get the medicine, and she noticed something. It was probably about 80 degrees upstairs, but it was about 60 degrees downstairs. Because our front door was wide open. It was about 3 o'clock in the morning. I was sleeping very peacefully. I didn't have any idea. Somebody could have turned down that road, noticed our door was wide open, come right in, taken anything they want. I would have been awake the next morning, didn't have a clue. That is a picture of what the world is like when they are not prepared for the coming of Jesus Christ. They will say, peace and safety, but that is just an illusion, just like the peace and safety that I thought I had when I went to bed, having locked all my doors and windows. It was just an illusion, it wasn't faith. It wasn't real. It will be surprised. Just like in the days of Noah and Lot. I don't need to turn there, but listen to what the Lord says is going to happen when Jesus comes in Luke 17, 26. Jesus said, as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days of the Son of Man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage until the day that Noah entered into the ark and the flood came and destroyed them all. Now, did they have any warning? Yes, they did. They got 100 years of warning. As Noah was building that ark, and people were stopping and looking, I'm sure, why are you building this ark in the middle of the desert when we've never had any rain ever? There's no water anywhere around here to be seen. Why are you building this ark, Noah? 100 years of warning. A hundred years of wits. And yet not one person, because of the deceitfulness and the imaginations of their heart, were only evil. Continually the Lord says, you know what? Not a single one of them, except for his family, went on that army. And so when the door was shut, and the rain started coming, they were surprised. It was sudden to them. Even though they were warned up to that point. the world that hears the warning from the Word of God and hears the witness that we give to them. It will still be a sudden event to them because they have not listened to the warning that God has given to them through His Word and through His people. But also, Jesus says, likewise also was it in the days of Lot. They did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built, but the same thing had fallen out of Sodom. It rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even thus, Jesus says, shall be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. The peace of this world is an illusion, and that is one of the main reasons why we need to go out and give them the warning that God has given to us. So that they can be prepared for the same coming that we are prepared for. Does that not burn your heart? That the people that are living their lives in peace and safety, they think they're in peace and safety. It is but an illusion. And we've got the answer for it. We need to share that with them. Because not only will it be an illusion, their peace will be interrupted. It says in verse 3, then, sudden destruction cometh upon them. And this does not mean that they will be burnt up in a moment. Rather, if you look at the particular phrase in the original, it says that this will be a sudden coming of destruction. Not a sudden destruction itself, but a sudden coming of destruction. And it gives an illustration of that through the woman that is going to go through travail. It's not like a car wreck where we immediately see damage and destruction, but rather it's like the Titanic. They suddenly hit that iceberg, didn't they? Boom! It was felt throughout the ship! But the destruction didn't come until hours later. It was the beginning of the end of many of their lives. They knew it was coming, many of them, and they were piling onto those safety boats. That is, they were launching off, and they realized there weren't enough boats for the passengers that were there, and some of the boats weren't completely filled, and they knew that after the boats were gone, and that they were diving into that icy water, they knew their end was coming! Even though it wasn't immediate. And that's the same situation, because Jesus said in Matthew 24 and Mark 13, that the coming of the Lord will bring on the beginning of sorrow. And that's what we have here, the day of the Lord will bring ruin, but it is just the beginning of sorrows, and it will be a painful process to them, because it will be impossible for them ultimately to have peace. This is a process of their ruin. He describes it as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape. I remember when my wife was with child with both our children, the contractions came on very sudden. We knew when it was time to have those kids. But when that first contraction came, I wasn't out there ready to hold onto that baby coming out. That's why they call it labor, right? It takes a process of time. It's a painful process. The contractions didn't come on suddenly. In fact, when Paige was born, my wife received those contractions, and she woke me up, and she said, it's time. And I said, how far apart are they? And she said, about three minutes. And I panicked. Because it wasn't supposed to be that fast! But still, it gave us about two hours to get to the hospital, and her short labor was still long, and it was still intense, it was still painful, and ultimately, the children were delivered. But just like the contraction, it comes on suddenly, but it comes on painfully, but it comes on regularly, and progressively, it gets worse, and worse, and worse, and so it will be for the people that are left behind. Look in the book of Revelation. What do we see? We see the judgments. We see the bowls. We see the trumpets. We see all these things unfolding. And what is happening? We see the beginning of sorrows progressively getting worse and worse and worse. And that is what's going to happen to those who aren't ready for His coming. The only way to have the right kind of peace is to go to the source of the pain. In order for my wife to be done with that pain is she had to go to the hospital and be delivered of that pain, have those children be born. They were the source of that pain, and they were born. But in those days, and even in our day, we have to consider who is going to be judging those people for their sin is God. God's wrath will be upon those men and those women that are not trusting Him. And the only way for them to be relieved of this pain is to go to the source of the pain and seek His mercy. The fact is, it says in Psalm 145a, the Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger, and of great mercy. Why do you think that God does a period of time And not just an immediate judgment. He says, if they won't listen to my people through the Word of God before I return, after I return, I'm going to give them a beginning of sorrows that will progressively get worse. If I can just beg of their attention, and to the very end when that is all over, they truly have no excuse. And that is so important. Why? We need to be prepared. We need to help others be prepared. because there is no way to have peace apart from going to Him. It will help us maintain that kind of peace, and to provide that kind of peace, but also the hope in the coming of Christ will help you maintain the right kind of purity. In verse 4 he says, But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day, that day of the Lord, should overtake you as a thief with unexpectedness. Rather, you are the children of light, and the children of the day. We are not of the night, nor of darkness. Paul was persuaded that the Thessalonian Christians were not going to suffer this lack of peace, because there was evidence of their purity. He said, you are not of darkness, but of light. You are not of the night, but of the day. Therefore, the day of the Lord will not be for your ruin, but rather, it will be for your redemption. Just what we saw in chapter 4, the return, the resurrection, the rapture, the reunion, all parts of redemption. He's telling them that the darkness is now passed for you as a child of God. The darkness was always a place of wickedness and a picture of wickedness. Men loved darkness rather than light. Why? Because their deeds were evil. As one writer puts it, to you at least, as a Christian, the coming of Christ will be no surprise but only what you've been looking for. You need to realize that because you have hope, it ought to help you be pure. You're no longer part of the world of darkness. You're no longer part of someone that is included in thieves and burglars. You know that He's coming and your light is present. Your light is present because the darkness has passed. You now have the ability to have the light, the fellowship with God in Isaiah, 2-5 Isaiah said to the children of Israel, O house of Jacob, come ye and let us walk in the light of the Lord. So walk in the light of the Lord. If you are prepared for His coming, you can walk in the light of the Lord. John says in 1 John 1-7, if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we, and I believe this is a vertical we, between God and the believer, we have fellowship one with another. What a blessing. You no longer have to worry about the darkness of this world, because you have a light of life within you, and now you can have fellowship with the Son of God. But you can also have a light of faithfulness to God. In Ephesians 5, Paul says, for you were sometimes darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. With this resolve, walk as children of light. If you are truly in the light of God's Word and the light of the Gospel, Don't dwell in the darkness, because that will end up in ruin. But if you are living according to the light of the gospel, walk as children of light. Your hope in the coming of Christ ought to help you be cured. 1 John 3 says, Beloved, now are we the sons of God. And it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. That's our hope. But then he adds this, and every man that hath this hope, purify himself even as he is pure. Your hope in the coming of Christ ought to help you purify yourself to be ready for his coming. We see in verse 6 the final reason that God has given us that hope, and that is to help you make the right kind of preparation. He adds in conclusion to these verses, and really from verse 1 to verse 13, or verse 12, I'm sorry, all these verses are very interrelated, but I need to stop at verse 6 or we'll be here till 2 o'clock. But he says, therefore let us not sleep as others do, but let us watch and be still. Your role in the coming of Christ ought to prepare you for His coming, and you're prepared in three ways. Be away from your dreams. He says, do not sleep. Let us not sleep as do others. There are others that are asleep thinking that they're dwelling in safety, and that they're at peace just like I was that night, and yet our door was wide open. You know, it's natural for people to sleep at night, isn't it? It's usually when people sleep. But since you are on the day, he says do not fall asleep. Don't fall asleep like the rest of the world. Don't just go off your daily life thinking that nothing can happen, that the Lord will never return. But rather, do not be spiritually sleepy. We need to wake up. We need to wake up spiritually. We need to realize that the Word of God, and the prayer to God, and the Church of God, and our witness for God, these are all elements of our duty for God. We need to be not asleep, but be awake. Not just dream on about how this world is going to go on, just like it has been for thousands of years, because it may not. Maybe it is today. It could happen. Don't be asleep. Don't be slothful, don't be sinful, be awake. Another way to prepare is to be alert to your dangers. He said, let us watch. There's a slogan for drivers. It says, be alert, arrive unhurt. We need to be alert. so that when Jesus Christ comes to take us home, we will be unhurt. We need to be watchful for the dangers that are lurking out there. We need to be vigilant because our adversary, the devil, like a roaring lion, is walking about seeking whom he may devour. We need to be wary of the people in the world that are trying to draw us away from God. We need to stay so close to the Lord. Jesus said in Mark 13, 37, Watch ye therefore, for ye know not whom the master of the house cometh. You don't know. So watch. Be ready. Be vigilant. Be alert. He may come at evening, or at midnight, or the clock throwing, or in the morning. Left, coming suddenly, he finds you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to you all, watch. Be awake. Be alert, but also be attentive to your duties. He says, be sober. Let us be sober so that we may watch. This sober does include the soberness of not drinking and being filled with things that take away our attention from the Lord. But it is a soberness, it is a vigilance, it is a careful watching over our own life, abstaining from sin, setting standards so that we can fulfill the duties that God has given to us while we walk with Him till the day He comes to take us home. You're hoping that coming to Christ will help you make the right kind of preparation. My question is, is are we prepared? Are we awake? Are we alert? And are we sober? Are we attentive to the duty that God has given to us? So often, we don't have the coming of the Lord in our mind. We don't have the right understanding or perspective. So what happens? We start to live our lives like an unbeliever. We're practical atheists. We say we believe in God. We may even come and worship God, or so we say. But the rest of our days are like no other persons in the world. It's the exact same. There's no difference. There's no change. Yet the hope that God gives us, which is a certain hope, ought to be reflected in our health to prepare for that day. Are you preparing today by being awake? Are you being prepared today by being alert and being really truly ready to do your duty even today? It's not just about being ready to die, it's being prepared to live. Has your role in the coming of Christ helped you in your walk with Christ? If you have the right perspective of the coming of the Lord, it's not about today. And this is why there's so many problems with the Prophecy Movement today. They're so fixated on the date. When is He going to come? They may look at astrological and astronomical signs even. Christians are doing this. It's because they don't have the right perspective. It's not about the times or the seasons, brethren. It's not about the when. It's about the what and the why. His coming is to help you prepare. And when you have that right perspective, and I pray and trust that all of you do, It will help you with your peace. You can have a peace that passes all understanding, and you can help others find that peace, because they won't have that peace when he tests them. It'll help you with your peace, it'll help you with your purity. Do you think that Jesus could come today? What sins will we refuse to engage ourselves in? What worldly things are we not going to participate in? Are we going to redeem the time, knowing the days are evil? It will help you also in your preparations. You will be awake. You will be alert. You will be attentive. You won't be lazy and slothful in your responsibility for the Lord. I want to close with this, because Jesus says in Revelation 16, 15, Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that walks in it, and keepeth his garments, that is, to remain pure. Lest he walk naked, and they see his sheep. Are you watching and are you waiting? Are you keeping yourself pure? Let your hope in the coming of Christ be the help for your walk with Christ.